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Comella's features Italian staples, including meatballs, pasta, salads, cannolis, and pizza with various toppings, which is pictured above.

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

Italian restaurant Comella's, which owns eight locations throughout the greater Boston area, will open its newest branch in Natick Center this April, according to restaurant owners.

The new location will open at 45 Main Street in Natick, which previously housed breakfast eatery Rise N Shine Café.

The name of the restaurant and menu options will stay the same as the other eight locations, said J.P. Comella, who co-owns the local chain with his brother, Matt.

Menu specialties include 16" cheese pizza for $5, meatballs for $1.50, salads for $4.99, and lobster ravioli for $15.99. All food is made fresh on-site with the restaurant's own recipes, Comella said.

Comella said he and his brother have been wanting to expand into Natick for a while, citing familiarity with the town.

"There is a strong community that supports its businesses, and there is a large number of families there, which really fits the demographics in what we're looking for," Comella said.

The layout will be similar to the other casual locations, where patrons place their order at a counter and have employees bring the food to them at a table.

"Everything is served on china plates and with metal forks, so there's no plasticware or paper plates," Comella said.

Comella said if Natick succeeds in loosening the seating threshold for obtaining a wine and beer license, the restaurant might pursue obtaining one, but that it was not a top priority.

"If that opportunity presents itself, we will try, but it's a small part of what we do," Comella said. "We cater to families. We do takeout and sit-in dining. It's a very casual and relaxed place."

The Natick location will offer 24 seats, and will create about 10 part-time jobs and four full-time staff positions, Comella said.

The new location has not started with construction yet, but Comella said that when the renovation nears completion, they will interview applicants for the open positions.

"The majority of our front-of-house staff will be local area people, ranging from high school and college students in the summer to working professionals," Comella said.

Currently, interested candidates can download an application on the restaurant's website. The Natick location will also post a sign in the window when they are ready to see applicants, Comella said.

Comella's father, Gene, founded the restaurant in 1988 in Wellesley, before moving it to West Newton in 1995. Comella and his brother Matt joined the business in 2003, and have been expanding the eatery slowly over the years.

Currently, there are locations in Wellesley, Belmont, West Newton, Arlington, Needham, Chestnut Hill, West Roxbury, and Concord.

Six of the eight restaurants serve alcohol, Comella said.

Comella's sells individual antipasto salads like the one pictured above for $9.99.